Alisha+Ravi+-+Meditation+1

Meditation #1 How does students’ language development affect their learning? Working on my Point of Tension assignment allowed me to think about my own language development, and how it affects my relationship with language now. It also got me thinking about how crucial that relationship with language is to academic literacy. Due to my positive relationship with English, I was able to succeed in both school and university. Unlike me, many of my students are faced with scorn and disapproval especially by authority figures for the language that they most frequently use. It is interesting to think about the relationship that many of my students have with Standard English, and language in general. What struck me most about the language development of children is that “a child actually begins life with the cognitive capacity for language” (Kiel, 1998, p. 2). All children begin at the same level, ready to learn language. This even playing field is very quickly taken away when we consider the environmental factors that contribute to language development. “While there is still come disagreement as to what portion of language acquisition should be attributed to cognitive factors (nature) or a child’s surroundings (nurture), it is rather widely held that both environment and innate capacity play powerful roles in language acquisition” (Kiel, 1998, p.2). Many of my students do not come from language rich environments. My linguistic dimensions survey indicated that most of my students were not read to when they were young, nor do they read for pleasure. This immediately puts them at a deficit in school where they are expected to be fluent in Standard English, a language that is not their first, nor is it a language that they hear outside of school. Language is too complex to be taught explicitly. All children learn language of their own accord through listening to what they hear around them (Kiel, 1998, p. 3). This is part of the reason that I struggle to teach the structures of Standard English. Like most people “[I am] not normally conscious of [my] grammar” (Thomas and Tchudi, 1999, p. 32). As I noted in my Think Tank discussion, this becomes like teaching a foreign language to these students. Recently, as I’ve become more aware of the affects of language development on academic achievement, I’ve worked to find out more about how my students use language in positive ways. I found out that many of my students write poetry and short stories in their free time. I have had students bring in stories and poems that they have written. I also included a creative writing option in our most recent homework packet. I think that it is important to legitimize, and appreciate the ways that students do use language. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading my students’ creative writing, and offering feedback when asked. I hope that this exercise has helped my students realize how much they can already do with language, and what they have to build on. I often think about how my students will be able to use language when they leave high school, and are out in the world: Will they be able to create a resume, and cover letter? Will they be able to apply Standard English in a job interview setting? These questions are the reason that I strive to give my students the skills to recognize their own use of language. Ideally, code-switching will become tacit knowledge to them, but most importantly, I would like my students to recognize that they do have the ability to use language in a positive and effective way.